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Article: Do cats always land on their feet?
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune
- Article date:
- October 18, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Knight Ridder/Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadifori
Q: Do cats always land on their feet?
A: Not always. But they'll sure try. Cats are the perfect small predator, just as comfortable stalking a squirrel from tree to tree as they are chasing a wiggly piece of ribbon across the carpet. They've evolved with some nifty high-rise survival skills, including the ability to grab onto a branch with retractable crampons if they lose their footing. And if that doesn't work, they have that awe-inspiring ability to right themselves in midair so they can stick a perfect four-point landing.
This nifty feat would put any human Olympic gymnast to shame. A falling cat ...